75 St. Leonards StreetEdinburgh
Scotland
EH8 9QR

Phone: 0131 668 2917 (+44 131 668 2917)

Located in the south of the city, Blonde is located away from the main restaurant area, which means it is not a typical 'tourist trap' eatery. In a previous life, Blondes was part of the Howies chain of restaurants, but a management buyout has seen it change name and style to become another of the 'noteworthy' Edinburgh restaurants.

We visited the restaurant in late February, where the seasonal selections remained directed towards winter. Sarah's starter was grilled goat's cheese and beetroot, roast tomatoes and apple yoghurt. Her meal was tasty while light. I started with duck, black pudding and bacon terrine with chilli jam. The terrine was the best I've ever tasted, while the black pudding went well with the bacon and duck.

With the starters getting top marks, we hoped the mains would live up to expectation. I opted for the Fresh mussels and squid steamed with vermouth, garlic and lime. The mussels and squid were fresh, but I thought they could have done with some spice. Sarah went for the sole parcels filled with dill, lime and seafood mousseline on a bed of lemongrass fettuccine with a roast garlic sauce. A very traditional dish with a modern twist that was very nice.

Dessert, shared between us, was brandy snap basket, filled with champagne sorbet. Very nice and the coffees ended a really enjoyable meal. The total cost, excluding the drinks was a mere £33.00 (Drinks added £15.00).

So, no longer being part of the Howies chain seems to be paying dividends for Blonde, as it's able to take the best of the local ingredients and produce some excellent dishes. Though I felt my main should be more spicy, it didn't distract from the fact that we felt the restaurant is another 'find' in Edinburgh.